Coco Gauff suffers shock defeat to Wang Xinyu in Berlin
French Open champion Coco Gauff was brought back down to earth with an opening defeat against China’s Wang Xinyu at the Berlin Tennis Open.
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Gauff, who was given a bye in the first round, was playing her first match since winning a second grand slam title at Roland Garros nearly two weeks ago.
But she produced an error-strewn display, including seven double faults, in the German capital as Wang secured a 6-3 6-3 victory for the biggest win of her career.
Aryna Sabalenka, who was beaten by Gauff in the final in Paris, prevailed in her delayed match against Rebeka Masarova, winning 6-2 7-6 (6).
The top seed will face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals after she defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-4 7-6 (5).
Another winner at SW19, 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova, is also showing some form again on the grass and she defeated Diana Shnaider 6-3 6-7 (3) 6-3.
It comes days after Coco Gauff won her first French Open title after a rollercoaster final against Aryna Sabalenka to be crowned the new queen of clay.
The breezy Paris conditions contributed to a combined total of 100 unforced errors and 15 breaks of serve.
But that did not take away from some glorious shot-making, breathtaking power hitting and drama of the highest order.
It was the first time the top two women's seeds had contested a Roland Garros final since Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in 2013.